Ireland secured over 75% of all the European Green Flag awards.

  What an impressive achievement. At this year's Green Flag Awards, of the 136 awarded in Europe, Ireland received 104 of them. Participating European countries included France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Ireland, and Portugal. According to The Journal:

"The Green Flag Award for parks is the mark of a quality park or green space and is recognised throughout the world. It is only awarded for exceeding tough environmental standards in green space management and excellence of visitor attractions."

Programme Manager at the Environmental Education Unit of An Taisce, Emyln Cullen, said this of Ireland's achievement:

"The continued success of the Green Flag award in Ireland is a great measure of how much the country values parks and green spaces – and how well managed many of them are."

Of the 104 Green Flag awards received in Ireland, 85 went to formal public sites, while the remaining 19 went to community sites run by volunteers. Ireland has received more of these awards than any other country other than the UK. This was also the second year the Green Heritage Site Accreditation was rolled out across Ireland. Another seven spots were added to the previous five, bringing Ireland's total to 12. You can see all the winners HERE. Header image via Shutterstock READ ON: 17-25 year old women can avail of free contraception as of this week